October surprises

As we were about to go to press, Sotiris came back from his first visit to Liebherr with news of their return to the rough terrain crane market. We have one of his photos of the new crane on our cover, and news. After two decades without the German giant competing in this market, it will be interesting to see how their competitors respond.

Over the Alps in Italy, Manitowoc has also had a recent launch. They'd shown their first Hup self erector, designed as the successor to their Igo range, at this year's Bauma. However, at the launch of the second model in the range, they described in more detail what they see as special about the Hups. At the core, they've aimed to make the new range much more flexible, allowing each model to handle a broader range of jobs. That'll mean less models overall, simplifying owners' purchasing decisions and making support easier.

Rounding up news from manufacturers, there's been some good news from Spierings, where innovative crane designer Leo Spierings has taken back full control of the company.

On the crane owner side of the industry, Sarens has announced a major deal in Kazakhstan, the biggest in its history. The company will be organising transport of heavy modules from two transshipment bases in in the Baltic and Black Seas, all the way through to their installation in Kazakhstan. In this issue, Sotiris spoke to Carl and Wim Sarens about how the job will work, and what it means for the company.

I hope you enjoy the issue.

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